Friday, March 15, 2013

Favorite pear

Today, did a riff on simple green smoothies sweet pear, but doubled the pear as I was out of bananas. Also added some flaxseed for some fat.

I find the smoothies less filling when I don't add protein powder, though.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Berry Blast & Bone Broth

I finally made a green smoothie that Z actually liked!

12 fl oz hemp milk
4 c red chard
1 c mixed berries
1/2 cucumber
1/2 avocado
1 apple
2 dates
2 scoops Aria powder

I also made an amazing bone broth over 2 days, trying to extract all the mineral goodness from some leftover chicken bits.  This is now sitting in my freezer, and I am thinking of extracting to make into a demi-glace. Z thinks that the smell was a little overpowering.

Bone broth linksBroth is beautiful

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Spin class!

Woke up at 5am (what an ungodly hour) to go to spin class at the local gym at 5:30am.  Although markedly out of shape from my high of 5 years ago, I was able to make it through the class, barely.  Mona, the instructor, was sympathetic, but gave me encouragement as I had not quit though I wanted to.  She said she expected to see me next week, and I promised to make it a habit!

This morning's smoothie was pretty basic, and used the last of my swiss chard, and the last of my almond milk. Luckily, I still have a box of hemp! milk, and some dino kale from the Farmer's market.

4 c swiss chard
300 ml almond milk
1 apple, cored and sliced
2 honey dates
2 scoops Aria protein powder

Blend till smooth.  What a refreshing post workout smoothie!  A new thing I'm doing now is that when I clean my blender & morning glass, I save the rinse water and use it to water my roses.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

chocolate avocado pudding

A simple silky, beautiful chocolate avocado pudding, where the richness comes from both avocado and greek yogurt.

2 tbsp rich dark cocoa powder
1 avocado
2 tbsp greek yogurt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
vanilla stevia to taste

Blend until smooth and creamy.  :D I couldn't wait, and I ended up eating it immediately, but I hear it gets better over time.

Other versions of this chocolate/avocado awesomeness include:
Giada de Laurentiis Chocolate Avocado Mousse
PaleOMG 5-ingredient chocolate pudding
Chocolate Avocado Mousse
Balanced Bites: Dairy-free Chocolate Avocado Mousse 

Reflections, or how I became besties with my blender

Been gluten free since Valentine's Day, and (mostly) grain/sugar free since though it is hard for a Filipina to give up her rice.  I've evolved my diet to a mostly plant-based, pastured meat diet. People have started to notice that I am looking better. I have lost a pants size even though I haven't lost weight.  My skin has a nifty glow that I've only ever achieved after a skin peel.  I feel less inflammation in my joints.  I am consuming more fruit and vegetables than I ever have in my entire life, and I am no longer constipated when I go do my business in the bathroom.  I have spent more money than a girl should on a kitchen appliances, which I think of it as an investment into my health and therefore worth every penny.  

I'm resolving to go to more farmer's markets to pick up fresh produce every week, and am determined to finish all my veg before they spoil in the fridge.

Kale is my new favorite vegetable.
Spinach is a close second.

I can't help think of Dr Jillian from Britain's "You are what you eat" and wonder what she would think of what I'm doing to myself.

I wonder what my blood work will show after Lent.

Pineapple banana bliss

Tastiest experiment I've done in while!

2 c almond milk
1/2 avocado
1 banana
1 c pineapple
3 c kale/beet greens
1 c frozen mixed berries
3 honey dates
2 scoops protein powder

Yesterday's smoothie didn't make enough to last me the day at work, and so I ended up feeling peckish for most of the day. OTOH bought some kale and veggie chips to snack on if the need arises again. Guarding against hunger pangs by bringing in a qt of green smoothie...

Monday, March 4, 2013

Farmer's Market delight

Went to the Farmer's market for the first time in a long while, where I found these lovely beet greens.  When I took the beets to the Farmer to pay for the haul, he asked me if I wanted him to trim the greens as a convenience.  To which I replied, I was buying them for the greens, they were lovely!

2 handful Beet greens
300 ml Almond Milk
1 apple,sliced
1/2 avocado
1 c frozen mixed berry
2 pitted dates
1" knob of ginger

Taste notes: Spicy, almost savory smoothie, even though it had a lot of fruit -- the ginger is the most overpowering flavor in this recipe.  Dates gave the needed sweetness that I needed to satisfy my sweet tooth, no extra stevia required.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

My first Blendtec smoothie...

I picked up my new-to-me Blendtec yesterday, and I made my first green smoothie with it this morning.

1 c almond milk
2 c green spinach
1 c parsley
1 c pineapple
1 banana

2 scoops protein powder

Placed all in the Blendtec in *that* precise order, and the Blender jar looked pretty full to me.  Then pressed the smoothie button -- and boom, off to the races it went.  At first it didn't do much, but then it started working its magic.  40 seconds later, I had a wonderfully smooth smoothie!   I didn't get this result after 10 minutes of frustrated blending with the old Black and Decker, and FORGET about the Ninja.  I can totally see this shaving off a good portion of my morning routine.  Also, because it did a better job blending, the end result didn't have as much volume as the past smoothies I've logged here.

Taste notes: I do not really care for bananas as a base for smoothies, they seem to leave a chalky taste that I just do not get with my apple-based smoothies.  I can't really taste the pineapple, even though I tasted a pineapple chunk and it was plenty sweet.  Definitely am tasting the parsley though, which I love, though may be an acquired taste for some.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Paleo Meatballs, lunch

I made a few changes to this Meatball recipe from Paleo Pot for lunch today:

Finely grated zucchini, squeezed!
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground black pepper

Form into meatballs

4 c loose baby spinach
1/2 c sunflower seeds

Layer half in the bottom of the crockpot, the add layer of meatballs

1/2 jar marinara sauce

Cover in marinara sauce.

Layer remaining spinach and sunflower seeds, cook for 4 hours on slow cooker setting.  Nice to use my rice cooker for something else. Prepped this in the am, didn't take too long at all.

Taste notes: Tasty, but it is good to note that the meatball did not have a very meatball-y texture at all.  This is probably due to the fact that I may have not put enough binding agent into the meatball mixture.  The way the spinach melted into the meatballs gave a dolma type experience.  

Nutty Romaine

3 c romaine
2 tbsp almond butter
1 c almond milk
1 mango
6 oz blueberries
Stevia to taste

Mmm, nuttiest smoothie ever, might've overdone it with the almond butter, but it is still tasty.

Friday, March 1, 2013

Simplicity

I'm on my 7th day of having a green smoothie everyday, and I feel less bloated -- I must look less bloated too, as several people have commented on how I look... better. My tight jeans fit better, t-shirts a little looser, and I haven't done anything much other than drink a green smoothie every day.  I do walk my dog a mile everyday, but that hasn't changed from my pre-green-smoothie days... 

Today's green smoothie: 

2 c spinach (yes back to spinach)
1 banana
1/2 avocado 
1 c almond milk
2 tbsp protein powder 

Oh, and in blender news, my new Blendtec blender is at the UPS holding facility.  I'm returning the Ninja as soon as I can, and good riddance! 

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

$5 lunch

Gotta love the healthy lunch options at work. Grilled salmon, brussel sprouts and roasted broccoli.

Better than mio...



J3nn had a great post about using liquid vanilla/stevia in seltzer to create a great tasting, zero calorie soda!  And I agree... the resulting soda has a rich creaminess that reminds me of cream soda.  Also, NuNaturals did something to their stevia so there's hardly any aftertaste I can detect.

A break from spinach

Today's smoothie is a first for me, raw Swiss chard, and dill in my smoothie...

3 c Swiss chard, stemmed
1/4 c dill
1 c almond milk
1/2 banana
1 Fuji apple, cored
6 oz blueberries
1 tbsp avocado oil
2 tbsp almond butter
6 drops vanilla stevia

Creamiest smoothie yet! I like the change from spinach... i was starting to get green smoothie fatigue. i wonder if this is what people mean when they advice to rotate your veggie base? Hint of acidity from the dill, which gives it a slight refreshing flavor. The blender did not pulverize the seeds enough, i guess thats what happens when one works with berries.

Hmm, last box of almond milk...

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Pineapple green monster

I must lay off on the spinach tomorrow, hmm might be time for kale/romaine goodness.

2 c spinach
1 c parsley
1/2 c mint
1 c pineapple
1/2 cucumber
2 tbsp flax
2 tbsp aria protein powder
2 c coconut water

Light and fruity flavor from the pineapple. Because pineapple is such a fibrous fruit, required extra blending. The mint flavor is more pronounced today, and works well with pineapple! I feel like I'm drinking the essence of spring. This is a thick viscous shake so might have over done on the greens, still pretty delish.

Morning dose served up with some detox green tea, flavored with stevia and lemon. Thanks, Doctor Oz!

Mv: nature made fsm
O3: fish oil
Probiotic: trunature
Weight: 173

Monday, February 25, 2013

Ninja: worst blender ever

Ninja: officially worst blender ever. I tried making a similar green smoothie today with our old $40 Black and Decker, and it came out with a finer consistency (not perfect, but something I can live with) than the smoothie made with the Ninja. I also tried to make almond butter with its processor attachment, and it only got to the almond flour stage. I had to break out my cuisinart to get it to almond buttery goodness. A return trip to Costco is in store for you my friend! I do so hate when things to do not work as advertised!

Green smoothies are one of the easiest dietary commitments I've made.  So delicious!  I have read the warnings of incorporating raw smoothies into your diet.  The issue that keeps coming up seems to be related to having a genetic marker if you're of European descent (which I am not), and if you do not rotate your greens (note yesterday's shopping spree at Sunland Produce!), so I think I am fine. I'm also not using Green Smoothies as my primary source of nutrition, only using it to supplement a few meals out of each day (breakfast, maybe lunch?) I'm sure if I tell my doctor what I'm doing she'll approve.

Started my day with a cup of Doctor Oz's detox tea (Seriously, it's just Green tea, a squeeze of lemon and a few drops of my magic stevia elixir) and a Blueberry Parsley Greenie (recipe below)

Blueberry Parsley Greenie 

2 c spinach
1 c parsley
6 oz blueberries
1 fuji apple cored and sliced
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Using fuji apples as my base fruit gives this smoothie enough sweetness to curb my insatiable sweet tooth, no added stevia required.  I think I may have overdone on the spinach, I barely tasted the blueberries!  Or they could've been lackluster blueberries, I don't know.  This recipe makes a *ton* of smoothie.  I was able to have a 16 oz glass and fill my thermos for the day ahead.

MV: Nature Made FSM
O3: Nature M

Probiotic: TruNature   
Weight: 172 (lost 1.5 lbs!)

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Provisioning

I love Sunland Produce, was able to get a weeks worth of green smoothie supplies for under $40. My haul:

10 lbs apples
7 cucumbers
3 lemons
6 limes
3 lbs baby spinach
1 bunch red chard
1 bunch Swiss chard
1 bunch kale
3 bunches parsley
2 lbs carrots
4 bananas
1 bunch romaine lettuce
1 bunch celery
1 pineapple
1 mango
1 lb flax seed
18 oz blueberries
2 portabella mushrooms
1 lb roasted sunflower seeds
1 lb currants

Ok the last few items are not destined for the smoothie blender jar, but it found its way into my shopping cart anyway. This store is also my go to place for getting raw almonds, dates and the world's best raisins.

30 recipes for green smoothies

Oh my goodness, I found 30 recipes for green smoothies! that'll last me at least a month -- thanks, Oatmeal in my bowl!  I've added you to my blog roll.  :D

My Goodness, my Greenness!

Handful of kale
1 c parsley
1 c romaine lettuce
1 tbsp avocado oil
3/4 pear
1 cup mixed frozen berries
8 oz green tea
4 oz water
1 scoop protein powder
12 drops stevia

I found a neglected bag of kale in the back of my crisper, so in it went! This smoothie tastes a bit nutty, with the grassy undertones of parsley leveling off the sweetness of the fruit. I find myself liking this a lot, tastes good, healthy and is more filling than the nutrition shakes I used to have.

Because it is not smooth, I feel like I'm eating my smoothie and not drinking it. On top of pulsing, then blending, I finish with an ice crush, which helps the smoothie texture a little bit... however, having so much texture can be rather off-putting. 

Definitely going to go through my crisper drawer at a fast rate if I keep this up, but is that really a bad thing? It's not even 9am, and I've already hit my 5 servings of fruit and veg!


weigh-in: 173.5

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Ninja!

I made my first green smoothie after the purchase of a Ninja blender from our local Costco.

The last of the baby spinach
1 c parsley
1 c romaine lettuce
1 Fuji apple, cored and sliced
1 c almond milk

Pulsed then blended... And blended. The Ninja was able to break the veggies down into a fine purée, but not quite smoothie consistency. Tasted quite yummy, creamy from the almond milk, and quite filling. I can see how people swear by this stuff. Very excited for my next trip to the produce store.